Sascha SeganSamsung SCH-A990The Samsung SCH-A990 is the king of CDMA camera phones and the ultimate solution to the problem of forgetting your digital camera. But the lack of zoom, the shutter delay, and the difficulty of transferring pictures to your PC mean it's still no competition for dedicated digital cameras.

The Samsung SCH-A990 is the king of CDMA camera phones and the ultimate solution to the problem of forgetting your digital camera. But the lack of zoom, the shutter delay, and the difficulty of transferring pictures to your PC mean it's still no competition for dedicated digital cameras.

the samsung sch-a990 takes gorgeous, high-res pictures outdoors in sunlight, plays music, shows mobile tv, and even makes pretty good phone calls. unfortunately, its very slow autofocus and other quirks, such as the lack of file transfer options, mean it still can't quite replace a good digital camera.

Similar Products

measuring 3.8 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches (hwd) and weighing in at 4.4 ounces, the a990 is a serious-looking black flip phone studded with buttons, in an eminently touchable plastic finish. it looks terrific and feels great in the hand, though all of those side buttons (mostly related to camera and music functions) can be confusing. flip it open to see a big, comfortable keypad and sharp 320-by-240, 262k-color screen. then, twist and flip the screen to turn the a990 into a digital camera or portable music player with a big lcd display facing out.

the a990's first quirks show up as soon as you try to make a phone call: this phone has the most inaccurate reception gauge i've ever seen. one bar! two bars! four bars! voice coverage, but no data! data coverage, but no voice! you can watch the bars fluctuate while in the background, reception stays decent and consistent, though noticeably weaker than that of the motorola e815 or the nokia 6236i.

the earpiece has a bit of a volume wobble, but voice quality is generally loud and direct. transmissions are great, even in noisy areas: samsung's noise-cancellation easily silenced a nearby jackhammer. the speakerphone is a bit scratchy, but loud enough for all conditions, and speakerphone transmissions are crystal-clear. the a990 paired with my plantronics voyager 510 bluetooth headset without a problem. i worry a little about the battery life, though: four hours is decent for a cdma phone, but it may feel short with a lot of photo and multimedia usage. voicesignal's speaker-independent voice dialing is as good as ever. continue reading

Samsung SCH-A990

good

Bottom Line: The Samsung SCH-A990 is the king of CDMA camera phones and the ultimate solution to the problem of forgetting your digital camera. But the lack of zoom, the shutter delay, and the difficulty of transferring pictures to your PC mean it's still no competition for dedicated digital cameras.

Read More

About the Author

PCMag.com's lead mobile analyst, Sascha Segan, has reviewed hundreds of smartphones, tablets and other gadgets in more than 13 years with PCMag. He's the head of our Fastest Mobile Networks project, hosts our One Cool Thing daily Web show, and writes opinions on tech and society.
Segan is also a multiple award-winning travel writer. Other than ... See Full Bio

Samsung SCH-A990

Samsung SCH-A990

Get Our Best Stories!

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.